A Strange Bedtime Story
by M.G.Erb
Summary: Hazel Potter requested an odd story from her father tonight: how her siblings got their names James, Albus, Lily, Iris, Colin, Cedric, and Hazel. Harry's ramblings reveal the most memorable and traumatic moments from his eventful life and most importantly, the people who shaped it.


Harry Potter walked into his youngest daughter's room to read her a bedtime story. Hazel was the youngest of the seven children and the only Potter child still at home for the time being.

"Alright, Witch Hazel," said Harry, ruffling her hair. "What story should we read tonight?"

"None," said Hazel with a smile on her face.

"What?" asked Harry, confused.

"I want to hear about how you and Mummy came up with our names," said Hazel.

"What's all this?" asked Harry.

"Well, there are girls in my class make fun of me because my middle name is Nymphodora. Then when I told them about everyone else's middle names, they laughed at me again."

"I promise you, dear, your mum and I had reasons for your names."

"Tell me, then," said Hazel.

"Alright," said Harry. "But it may take a while."

James Sirius Potter, named for Harry's father and godfather, was a very good-looking and charismatic boy. He was the spitting image of his late grandfather and the tallest in his family, despite having very short parents. He was mischievous and loved to tease people, yet no one could ever get mad at him because he had the most charming smile and carefree attitude.

On the other hand, Albus Severus Potter was quiet and serious. He had his grandmother's eyes and his grandfather's dark hair. His uncle George Weasley always said that Al should have been Sirius Severus because he was the most serious and severe boy in England. Out of the seven children, Albus was no doubt the brightest and cleverest, achieving many awards for his academic work and having a knack at creating potions. He was named for two former headmasters of Hogwarts: Albus Dumbledore, Harry's mentor, and Severus Snape, the bravest man Harry ever knew and ultimately his savior.

Lily Luna Potter was named for Harry's mother and Luna Lovegood, the one friend who truly understood his struggles and helped him accept them. She had her mother's straight red hair that grew past her shoulders, and her grandmother Lily Evans' lovely green eyes. Lily was stunningly gorgeous, and both James and Al had noticed the boys turning their heads on their sister when she walked through Hogwarts. Lily was a stereotypical girl who was interested in boys, fashion, and her social standing. However, she wasn't really that superficial, and would do anything to protect those being bullied at Hogwarts. Despite her looks, Lily was shrewd and refused to let people walk over her.

Just as Al was a counterpart to James, Iris Minerva Potter was also the opposite of Lily. It was Ginny's idea to continue the Evans tradition of naming the girls after flowers, just like Lily and Petunia. Harry, being a boy, had no idea what other flowers could be used as names other than Lily or Petunia, which he insisted on not using. Ginny had suggested Iris, since it was a common name and it was one of her favorite flowers. Iris looked like Harry with her hair and had the Weasley blue eyes. Like her mother, Iris was stubborn and brash, never backing down from a fight or afraid to punch a boy or two. She also had a very sarcastic way of talking, much like headmistress Minerva McGonagall, whom she was named after. Iris was a tomboy and was seen with a ponytail or her curly hair framing her face. Iris had no idea yet how pretty she was, even though Lily insisted that she was going to be beautiful.

Then there were the twins, Colin Arthur Potter and Cedric Ignatius Potter. Both had dark red hair that was messy like Harry's, and unfortunately both inherited their father's poor eyesight. This made it very difficult for people to distinguish between the two boys. When Ginny and Harry announced they were having twins, the family was overjoyed. Oddly enough, it reminded people of happier times when Fred Weasley was still alive. George could never forget the brother he was literally tied to hip to even at the insistence of a few people.

The twins were named after Hogwarts students who had influenced Harry's life but were taken suddenly and tragically. The elder twin was named for Cedric Diggory, the young man who was murdered by Voldemort as a warning to the world and officially banning the Tri-Wizard Tournament for good. The second twin was named for Colin Creevey, a fellow Gryffindor student who admired Harry's heroism and courage. After the Hogwarts battle, Harry's heart sank at seeing the young man's lifeless body who had so much potential in life as a wizard.

Cedric Potter was the mellowest of the Potter children, whereas Colin was the most energetic. Like Fred and George, they were attached at the hip and did everything together. Most of the time, Colin came up with ways to get into trouble and Cedric had to make sure Colin didn't get into trouble. Colin was a Quidditch fanatic and admired his eldest brother James. Cedric was very artistic, and both Harry and Ginny noticed that he was very skilled at drawing.

The last child to be bore was Hazel Nymphodora Potter, named for Teddy Lupin's mother Tonks. Harry was going to use that as the first but Ginny insisted on giving her last child ("This will be the last one, Harry") a proper English name. Harry thought of using Ginevra, but Ginny said she even hated that name and wouldn't let her child having to rely on a nickname the rest of her life. They decided on Hazel, which was their friend Neville Longbottom's suggestion. As a professor of herbology, he often studied these plants and found Hazel to be the most useful plant.

Hazel was well aware of the fact that she was the youngest of the Weasley grandchildren, and enjoyed the attention she received from the family. Then, Ron and Hermione had their youngest child Hattie and Hazel began to envy the attention on the baby. Hazel was a curious child, not so much mischievous but just had a way at exploring everything and trying to be like her older siblings and cousins. It was hard since she was four years younger than the twins, and her mother and father understood that.

Many of Harry and Ginny's friends and family were the godparents of their children: George Weasley was James' godfather; Neville Longbottom was Al's godfather; Luna Lovegood Scamander was Lily's godmother; Hermione was Iris' godmother; Ron was the twins' godfather; and Victoire Weasley was Hazel's godmother. Harry made sure that his children were guaranteed a safe and loving upbringing, unlike his own at the Dursley's byt similar to Ginny's life at the Burrow. In addition to making sure his children's lives were comfortable and secured, Harry also made sure another child had the same life: his godson Teddy Remus Lupin.

Teddy was treated like the eighth Potter child, and Harry and Ginny made sure he had everything he needed, whether it was robes for Hogwarts or a hot meal. Recently, Teddy asked Harry if he could have access to the Potter family jewelry. Ginny and Harry could tell from Teddy's nervousness and cheeks turning red why he wanted to see the jewelry.

"Is there a specific ring you want to see?" asked Ginny.

"How…how do you know?" asked Teddy.

"Well, you've seen Victoire for three years, you're nervous, and you have this certain spark in your eye that I had when I asked Molly and Arthur if they had a specific ring that use to ask for Ginny's hand," said Harry, smiling at his godson.

Teddy chose a silver ring with a small blue diamond, something small and tasteful. Not surprisingly, Victoire said yes and the next year they would be married at the Burrow, where Victoire's parents got married. It was exciting for the whole wedding, since there hadn't been a wedding in the Weasley family since Harry and Ginny's wedding.

"Daddy, that's enough for now," said Hazel.

"Oh is it?" asked Harry, noticing that he had been babbling on for a while, as his daughter began to drift to sleep.

"Yes," said Hazel, yawning.

"Are you excited for Teddy and Victoire's wedding?" he asked.

"Mhm," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Victoire said I could hold the train."

"That's a very big job," said Harry, tucking her in.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, poppet?"

"Will you tell me about Teddy's parents tomorrow?"

Harry paused. He felt it was too soon to tell Hazel about the horrible things that had happened to the family, especially Teddy's parents.

"It's not a happy story," he said.

"It would be a story, though," she said.

"Alright," he said, hoping she would forget it.

"Good night, Daddy," she said kissing him.

"Good night, Witch Hazel," he said, happy to have one of seven good things still at home.


End file.
